Governor Hogan Visits AstraZeneca Facility in Frederick, Highlights $2.5 Million For Maryland Tech Council to Support Life Sciences Workforce Development

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today visited AstraZeneca’s biologics manufacturing center in Frederick to highlight the Maryland Department of Commerce’s award of $2.5 million to the Maryland Tech Council to support the BioHub Pathways program. This investment in BioHub Maryland—an innovative initiative to meet the growing workforce needs of Maryland’s life sciences industry—is part of the governor’s Maryland Cancer Moonshot Initiative to expand and accelerate cancer detection, screening, prevention, treatment, and research in the state.

The BioHub Pathways program was developed with guidance from the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board along with the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland Tech Council. It aims to help individuals acquire skills for promising life sciences careers, offers industry-aligned training solutions, and provides competency-based hands-on training that enables students to “learn by doing.” The training programs offer skill sets specific to biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing that are not typically taught in traditional academic settings.

“Maryland’s life sciences companies have an increasing demand for skilled talent, and that need is expected to grow as much as 20 percent over the next five years,” said Governor Hogan. “We are pleased to support this important program to expand the state’s life sciences and biotechnology research workforce.”

“We applaud the Hogan Administration for recognizing the critical role workforce development plays in maintaining Maryland’s global leadership in life sciences,” said Marty Rosendale, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council. “This award fundamentally transforms our effort to upskill and reskill some of the one million Marylanders who do not have advanced degrees, so they are positioned for a rewarding career in life sciences.”

BioHub Maryland also includes a website dedicated to career pathways in the industry. The website– www.biohubmaryland.com–features more than 1,000 local life science employment opportunities and career roadmaps to help students navigate their personal pathway to a life science career. 

Maryland consistently ranks as one of the top life sciences clusters in the nation. The state hosts more than 54,000 high-paying life sciences jobs, more than 500 biotechnology companies and 2,700 life science firms. Maryland leads the nation in research & development awards from the National Institutes of Health and the Baltimore-Washington corridor was recently ranked as the #2 market in the nation for life sciences research talent.